Category: Finance

When traveling overseas we may overlook the fact that not all debit cards can be used in a lot of ATM machines. I would always recommend to bring two or more debit cards. I currently have the GCash MasterCard and RCBC MyWallet for the meantime.

I also have my PayMaya physical card which is already linked to my verified PayMaya virtual card account but I am excluding it for now because of the Ph500 roaming fee my Smart postpaid account would automatically charge me once I insert my SIM to a working phone here while being overseas. As PayMaya now requires a text verification upon logging in to the PayMaya mobile app, I don’t think it’s worth it using my Smart postpaid SIM when I have two other debit card alternatives.

In Thailand, I could withdraw funds from my GCash MasterCard in most ATM machines. Most 7-Eleven stores in Thailand have ATM machines outside the premises but you have to also make sure the ATM machine is not that of a local bank. As for the RCBC MyWallet, I have tried withdrawing cash from it in both Siam Commercial Bank and Krungsri ATM machines and have been able to transact successfully.

I should also like to mention that solely depending on GCash MasterCard is not a good option because of the monthly withdrawal limit. There were times when I’ve reached my limit in GCash on the last day of the month and I had to wait for the next day, the first day of the next month, to do a withdrawal. In case waiting might pose a hassle for you, it’s good to have other options too.

It gets tricky here in Vietnam for the RCBC MyWallet. Techcom Bank, BIDV Bank, Lienviet Post Bank, Vietcom Bank and Maritime Bank are the most common ATM machines I could run into and GCash would be accepted in all of these. The only ATM where I found I could use my RCBC MyWallet is that of VP Bank. Unlike Vietcom and Techcombank, you won’t come across VP Bank ATM machines in most big malls. I had to research VP Bank ATM locations online.

I do find my travelling situation to be unique but I hope this has helped anyone who has trouble finding a bank in Vietnam they can withdraw their funds with using RCBC MyWallet.

Like this:

I have been using Skrill for transferring funds to my Philippine mobile wallet and purchasing referrals in NeoBux. Over the years, more online businesses I have used have switched from PayPal to Skrill as it has proven to be a good alternative to PayPal. I still prefer to use it over Payoneer because of the lower fees.

My only complaint about it lately has been about the Skrill verification process. I have completed the ID verification last year and for a while was not badgered about other Skrill verification process I needed to complete until last month. It was about the address verification. I wanted to add some Skrill funds to my NeoBux account so I could purchase new referrals. There was a warning on my profile page that my account use would be limited because I have not done the address verification. My beef mainly concerns the account restriction – this should have also included NOT BEING ABLE TO DEPOSIT FUNDS into my own account using my card. It should not only cover the amount restriction and limitation to transfer Skrill funds or use Skrill funds for purchases.

After Skrill ACCEPTED my funds deposit to my own account using my own card (mind you, this was AUTOMATED – a lesson for other companies to disable this feature also unless verification has been completed), I proceeded to upload my postpaid bill document. It was rejected. Few years back, I submitted my postpaid bill document showing my address and my name and they actually deemed it as valid. Now, the same document was rejected as they said they will only accept telephone utility bills. For some unfortunate reason, my sister said she has not received the telephone paper statements in our address. The newly added funds were stuck there in my Skrill account.

Meanwhile, I would have to pester my family back home for water or electric bill statements to get rid of this annoyance.

Update: January 2, 2018

I requested my sister to take a photo of a utility bill which she sent to me via Viber. It would make sense to upload the said document via the Skrill mobile app as well. However, in the Skrill mobile app (at least in the iOS version as I have not tried downloading Skrill on Android yet) it does say USE DOCUMENT UPLOAD but that option is misleading because it only allows you to scan or take a photo of the said document, which means you must have the utility bill on hand. In other words, it is pointless to do the address or location verification via the Skrill mobile app.

I had to do it via the web site on desktop as there is an option in the latter to upload the document. I had to open iCloud on the web and download the utility bill photo from there.

Like this:

Earlier today I got an alert on my iPhone to update my GCash mobile app and that the new update not only includes the RCBC-GCash and BPI-GCash cash-ins but also a list of their over-the-counter partners right within the GCash mobile app.

For a few months registering GCash within the RCBC Online Banking platform had been disabled. It’s a good thing they have brought the feature back. If you access your Globe sim menu and select GCash > Registration by dialing *119#, you will see the option to register your BPI and RCBC accounts. For a refresher, here’s the video for the registration for RCBC:

Update: June 11, 2018

Even though the RCBC to GCash option is available in the GCash mobile app, most of us encounter errors in attempting the feature. It probably works for RCBC accounts which are connected to a savings account but with the RCBC MyWallet Visa debit card (one can apply for this card at any RCBC branches without necessarily having a savings account at RCBC), it seems it’s been disabled again and it’s unclear when the RCBC to GCash cash-in service will resume. I would like to also emphasize that even though there is an option in the GCash mobile app to add your MasterCard or Visa Debit Card for cash-in, adding your RCBC MyWallet Visa Debit card is not allowed and you will only get a text notification that the attempt to add the card is unsuccessful.

There is an alternative, which I have tried for myself yesterday, but it would require you to have a Skrill account.

Requirements:

You must have a verified Skrill account.

Your GCash account must already be linked to your verified Skrill account. You can add your GCash mobile number under the Mobile Wallets tab.

Your RCBC MyWallet, which is a Visa debit card, must be also added to your Skrill account. You can do this by clicking on the tab Cards and Bank Accounts. Even if you do not verify this particular Visa debit card, you can still send money directly via Skrill but there would be a limit.

I would suggest you do the RCBC MyWallet to GCash cash-in on the web and not on the Skrill mobile app for the reason that “Philippines” does not appear on the drop down menu on the mobile app. Skrill needs to update their mobile app for bugs.

Here are the steps to transfer or send your RCBC MyWallet funds to your GCash account:

1 – Under Account Overview and just right under Available balance, there are two buttons for Send Money. Click on Send Direct.

Like this:

There has been a technical problem with GCash mobile app lately and it affects both the Android and Apple versions. Two weeks ago when using my GCash app to withdraw funds from PayPal to GCash, the mobile app would prompt me that my PayPal account has not been linked or that I need to re-link my PayPal account to my GCash account.

The problem with re-linking it is it duplicates the Pre-approved Payments Plan code recorded in your PayPal account for the same Globe GCash mobile number. You would have to log in to your PayPal again and delete the older Pre-approved Payments Plan code.

The other issue from which the same GCash technical problem would arise is if you are alternately using two or more Globe GCash numbers to access your GCash mobile app in Android or on an iPhone. When the cache on your phone has not been cleared or reset, the GCash mobile app would give you an error prompt about re-linking your account which should have only been the case for one Globe GCash number as users are only allowed to connect one PayPal account. Avoid having to alternate frequently between numbers.

If you aren’t aware of it yet, Android and iPhone do not roll out the update simultaneously. Android version of the GCash mobile app may release a more updated version earlier than on its Apple counterpart. I have observed this marked difference and it is the reason why I keep an Android and an iPhone and have the GCash mobile app installed on both. There was a time when my GCash account showed up as Unverified on the iPhone version while I was Verified on the Android. Of course, I had to break my own rule to stop alternating GCash numbers and had to do my GCash transactions on the Verified version. In fact, three days ago I experienced a coded error on my Android’s GCash after having successfully cashed in from PayPal to GCash. When I went to my iPhone’s GCash, I didn’t experience any errors at all.

My first GCash number showing up as Unverified account on an iPhoneMy second GCash account also showing up as Unverified on an iPhone

Hope these few tips helped. Always remember you do not need to keep re-linking your account to PayPal as it could only be a temporary system glitch.

In case your GCash balance has already been deducted because of a system glitch, simply fill out this Dispute Form and e-mail it to gcashinquiries@globe.com.ph.

Update: January 7, 2018

For a few months I had been using my sister’s GCash account for PayPal to GCash cash-ins because of this relinking error. Last Wednesday, in the middle of doing the cash-in on the GCash mobile app on my Android using my sister’s GCash account, that dreaded “Please Try Relinking Your PayPal Account To Your GCash Wallet” error appeared. What I did was tell my sister to transfer back to me the remaining USD to my PayPal account from hers because I wanted to see if I could finally relink my own GCash account to PayPal using the GCash mobile app on my iPhone. The relink turned out to be successful and I was able to resume my PayPal to GCash cash-in.

Update: February 22, 2018

Yesterday I encountered the same error and was not able to do a PayPal to GCash cash-in. In order to get my funds, I requested my sister to exchange my PayPal USD into PHP with the help of a trusted currency exchanger. Today, I received a text notification from GCash that they are temporarily suspending the PayPal to GCash cash-in. We’ll have to be patient until this service resumes.

Update: February 26, 2018

GCash has sent out this update:

“Hi there! We’re pleased to inform you that the PayPal to GCash service has been restored. We appreciate your patience and understanding. Thank you.”

Update: May 9, 2018

I encountered this dreadful error again but thankfully the GCash mobile app worked just fine after the re-linking. I was able to proceed with my cash-in right after. Here are my screenshots for this day:

Update: June 13, 2018

For two weeks now I have seen the error message “Sorry, we are unable to proceed with your cash-in request” when I try to do a PayPal to GCash cash-in. The good news is you can still proceed with a successful cash-in by clicking on Retry. Again, ALWAYS WITHDRAW IN INCREMENTS OF $25-$29. Doing cash-ins in alternate amounts between $25 and $29 is safer and I had lesser problems with delayed cash-ins.

Like this:

Although I praise GCash for preoccupying themselves with their customers’ security, I still couldn’t forget how traumatizing it was to experience PayPal to GCash cash-in delays thrice.

On June 8th, I received a follow-up e-mail from GCash regarding the transaction I made on June 7th.

I replied to the e-mail and informed them I have done withdrawals in small batches for more than three weeks already, pointing out to them that in case the initial $15 does not go through, I only have a measly $15 to dispute with PayPal for 6 days instead of a hefty $278.

Like this:

I signed up for a PayMaya account almost two years ago. There was an Upgrade option right within the PayMaya mobile app and I got the reference number via SMS but had not been able to upgrade then because of the lack of authorized PayMaya centers. At the time I signed up there was no authorized PayMaya center in my hometown and as of this writing there still isn’t one in Cagayan de Oro.

Last year I became aware of the Facebook video call via the PayMaya Official Facebook page. I tried this option with an old account, which I had to bring back to life from deactivation, only to be later disappointed that my Facebook video call request was ignored. I replied to their message via Messenger about the time and date and a month had gone by without any reply from them. Okaayyyyy. They should take out the Cares in PayMaya Cares or whatever. When I had the chance to stop by in Manila for 4 weeks, I found my chance and took care of this PayMaya upgrade business the first few days after my arrival in Manila.

If you browse through the PayMaya website, there’s a link for authorized Bayad Centers that will do the upgrade. Upgrade is free, by the way. I am staying in Las Piñas and this was favourable because there are few Bayad Centers close by. I chose the closest, Puregold Las Piñas.

I wasn’t very familiar with Las Piñas (I only lived in Parañaque a few years in the past but rarely ventured further down the South) and although I easily spotted Puregold Las Piñas, my journey didn’t go as smoothly as I would have liked because of a tiny oversight – I had to be in possession of a filled-up Bayad Center application form. If I had taken the Smart Jump Center route, which was SM Megamall, perhaps I would not be needing the Bayad Center form anymore. I was informed by the Bayad Center attendant in Puregold Las Piñas that I would need to print the Bayad Center upgrade application form and fill it up with the same information I entered in my PayMaya upgrade application online.

It took me 30 minutes of scouting the area outside of Puregold to find an internet cafe which offer printing services. When I went back to submit the form, again, I realised I had overlooked something when the attendant called me about the form I submitted. I did make sure, however, that I don’t get out of the premises without receiving any text message or a call from Bayad Center. The passport number I had entered on the form did not match what I entered on my PayMaya upgrade application. The passport number I submitted years ago expires this month and I have had a new passport since November 2016. My mistake was assuming that I could replace the info because of a mere expiration issue. I was wrong. Expired or not, the same ID indicated during the time one signed up must also be written on the Bayad Center form.

Once I provided the old passport number, I received a text notification within minutes from PayMaya that my account has already been upgraded to PayMaya Plus.

It was such a relief to be able to see on my PayMaya mobile app that I could send money to my other PayMaya card and/or SmartMoney accounts and even to other KYC’ed GCash accounts as well, which I currently have.

I did the PayMaya to GCash transfer to test. The transfer came through instantly!

Like this:

I have been experiencing the unrecognised 0956 Globe number error message since I purchased the sim late last year. At one point the error revolves around not being able to receive GCash funds when transferring from my GCash AmEx number. The app would prompt something like the number is not an existing Globe number. I bought the Globe 0956 number from a GCash MasterCard kiosk in a Globe Center.

In the Globe Rewards mobile app, I cannot add my Globe 0956 number because, again, the system says I must enter an existing Globe number. Nonetheless, I could send text messages with it, make calls and receive calls with it. To redeem my Globe Rewards points, I would need to dial *143# instead of using the Globe Rewards mobile app.

When Skrill was still partners with Upwork for the latter’s withdrawal options, I would withdraw my Upwork funds to Skrill and within the Skrill mobile app I would withdraw it to my mobile wallet. Mobile wallet withdrawal was instant. Here is a sample video of an error message I would get when choosing my Globe 0956 number under Mobile Wallet to withdraw my Skrill funds to. You can see in the video I had to use my Globe 0995 number, which is my GCash AmEx number, to successfully do a Skrill mobile wallet withdrawal. From the GCash mobile app, I am now able to transfer funds from my GCash AmEx 0995 number to my GCash MasterCard 0956 number.

Another problem a 0956 Globe prefix number poses is the lengthy refund period. With my GCash AmEx 0995 number, I would get refunds in a shorter period of time and there was no need for me to send a Dispute Form to GCash’s customer support. If you have a GCash number with a Globe prefix that’s experiencing the problems I described in this article, you should always make sure you file a dispute for any pending refunds or chargebacks you are expecting as soon as possible. Better late than never.

Like this:

It has been two weeks since I could not use the PayPal to GCash cash-in within the GCash mobile app itself. I’ve experienced delayed cash-ins before and I am glad Globe owned up to the never-ending technical difficulties their system seems to be having to prevent amassing discontented customers.

At first I thought the error was caused by the lack of update for the Android version only.

I kept encountering that error message even though my PayPal account was already linked to GCash in the past. I tried unlinking it via PayPal and then relinking it within the GCash smartphone app but the same problem persisted.

It was somewhat deceiving when I tried inserting my Globe GCash sim into my iPhone and could click on the PayPal to GCash cash-in option in the iOS version. However, when I entered the amount and clicked Next, that was when the error message appeared.

Relinking was futile, of course, as both Android and iOS versions have given me the same error message. PayPal and GCash Care clarified the issue.

Yesterday, I received a text notification that PayPal to GCash cash-in is now functional.

In case your GCash balance has already been deducted because of a system glitch, simply fill out this Dispute Form and e-mail it to gcashinquiries@globe.com.ph.

Like this:

For some time now, RCBC AccessOne has been called RCBC Online Banking and RCBC has reflected this change on the url as well. A few changes are apparent:

the GCASH tab is no longer automatically displayed on the RCBC Online Banking dashboard

some RCBC and GCash users have reported not being able to link their GCash to their RCBC MyWallet accounts

The GCash option is still available and you can still manually add it to your Dashboard by doing the following:

However, as RCBC’s Customer Care has informed me, the feature to link RCBC MyWallet to your GCash or registering for RCBC Mobile Banking with your MyWallet is currently not available. I have attempted to link my new RCBC MyWallet to my GCash account and only got the error message that GCash could not be linked to my RCBC MyWallet.

Update: June 19, 2018

I would like to also emphasize that even though there is an option in the GCash mobile app to add your MasterCard or Visa Debit Card for cash-in, adding your RCBC MyWallet Visa Debit card is not allowed and you will only get a text notification that the attempt to add the card is unsuccessful.

Like this:

Nine out of ten times I have had successful PayPal to GCash instant withdrawals via the GCash mobile app. This month, though, I experienced the first setback in transacting with this kind of platform. Here are the steps I took when I did not see my PayPal to GCash cash-in immediately reflected:

1 – PATIENCE. Patience is not one of my main virtues. There are things in life I would patiently wait for but I do not have tolerance for customer service issues especially when you don’t get a response within 24 hours from customer support. My impatience is probably the number one stressor in my life and during this setback, I was in a bad mood for 5 days. Yes, 5 days, because I only learned to let go of my anger and frustration for that long. Plus, the fact that customer service cannot exactly give you a concrete reason why their system had gone bonkers only exacerbates the problem.

2 – CONTACT GCASH. I contacted GCash Support via e-mail, which I usually do when I have GCash concerns or inquiries. GCash customer support agents do reply within 12 hours but don’t expect them to give more answers than they are giving you because the technical problem is above their pay grade. In case your GCash balance has already been deducted because of a system glitch, simply fill out this Dispute Form and e-mail it to gcashinquiries@globe.com.ph. Having a filled out Dispute Form helps speed things up.

In my case, PayPal sent a confirmation e-mail that the funds have already been transferred to my GCash account. The error and delay was on GCash’s end. I was told by customer service that they had forwarded the concern to their Treasury Department.

3 – FILE A DISPUTE ON THE PAYPAL PLATFORM. Since I did not get any reply after a day of filing a dispute via the PayPal platform, I sent a message via the Message Center. In two days without any reply, PayPal deemed it fit to escalate it to a claim. I did not hear back from GCash and when I followed up with them, I was told they are still waiting for an update from their Treasury Department.

By the 6th day, I was surprised to see my funds returned by GCash to my PayPal account. Cautiously, I tried doing a PayPal to GCash cash-in of PhP20 to see if their cash-in capabilities is running smoothly again. Not surprisingly, the small cash-in went through instantly and I decided to proceed with the remaining amount in my PayPal balance and this went successfully as well.

4 – THANK GCASH SUPPORT AND CANCEL THE PAYPAL DISPUTE CLAIM. When I got my PayPal funds returned, I thanked GCash customer service via the existing thread and informed them that the issue has been resolved. I canceled the dispute claim via the PayPal platform which automatically indicates to PayPal that the dispute has reached a resolution.

It took 6 days to be resolved. During that period, I did also find out that GCash outlets could not successfully transact GCash cash-in’s.

5 – ALWAYS WITHDRAW IN INCREMENTS OF $25-$29. I do not know why GCash seems to get more complaints about delayed cash-ins from PayPal to GCash when the amount is more than $100 and above. After encountering delays, I have learned that doing cash-ins in alternate amounts between $25 and $29 was safer and I had lesser problems with delayed cash-ins. There is a caveat, though, as successful cash-ins in small amounts is regarded as suspicious by GCash and it will lead you to account suspension. The good news is you will be notified by email about it and as soon as you reply to GCash Support, the suspension will be quickly lifted and you will be able to access your GCash mobile app again.

UPDATE: MAY 13, 2017

Other than the obvious glitch in the system, PayPal to GCash instant withdrawals may be delayed because you have exceeded the cash-in limit for your GCash account, usually capped at PhP50,000 per month per account. In that case, you would get a text notification about it:

You can request your transaction history within the GCash mobile app to be sent to your e-mail address.

Other text notifications come in like this:

Despite that text warning, the system doesn’t behave on the contrary. Your funds will be deducted nonetheless and as a result PayPal treats the transaction as completed, that is why you would get the automated transaction completed e-mail from PayPal. That is why you need to file a dispute with PayPal after contacting GCash.

I have experienced file disputes regarding the PayPal to GCash cash-in delays thrice and 2 out of 3 were resolved in 6 days. Just hang in there.

UPDATE: DECEMBER 28, 2017

I still use PayPal to GCash cash-in via the GCash mobile app and I would still experience having one transaction delayed. The only difference is the missing funds would be in my account within 30 minutes to an hour.

UPDATE: DECEMBER 19, 2018

When I logged in to my GCash mobile app at 8am today, I encountered the PayPal re- link error message and then this:

After I tapped on back and tried to cash-in, the screen showed me the correct amount on my PayPal balance so I tried to cash in $29 in my primary GCash account and $10 in my second GCash account. None of them were successful. I did not get any text notification that the cash-in went through. It’s been 3 hours now since I did the transfer and still no text notification. I did file a dispute with PayPal and emailed GCash about the problem. Good luck to their customer service agents right now being bombarded with angry messages. GCash mobile app is so buggy right now so don’t bother making cash-ins unless the first attempt went through.

UPDATE: DECEMBER 20, 2018

Last night, I received an e-mail that I supposedly requested to cancel my pre-approved payments plan, which means that I purposely unlinked my PayPal from GCash. Odd. It must have been another glitch on GCash’s end because when I went to the GCash mobile app, I was shown the prompt that my GCash is still linked to the same PayPal e-mail address.

Earlier today I read this reply from GCash regarding the dispute form I sent them yesterday:

Let’s see if they fulfill that promise of returned funds within the day.

UPDATE: December 21, 2018

I received an e-mail from GCash today and their customer service agents are being redundant except for the part about the mobile app versions.

A few minutes after I sent them my information, I got this reply:

Not much difference from the screenshot above except the December 19th mention.

Obviously, just like yesterday’s empty promise, I still haven’t been refunded.

And more promises.

5:40 PM:

Still nothing showing on my PayPal balance. I did hear from someone on Twitter that he got refunded yesterday.

Around 7 PM, I used the Contact Us link on PayPal right below the Open Dispute Case. I wrote in the message box that G-Xchange has already replied to me confirming the refund and that the dispute needs to be escalated to a claim.

UPDATE: December 22, 2018

At 9AM today, I repeated the Contact Us process in PayPal for the other PayPal account where the $10 should be refunded to.

I received this e-mail notification from PayPal (which I just checked a while ago). It says the refund came in at 11:46 AM so that must have been 12:46 PM, Philippine time.

My $29 has been refunded but my $10 from the other PayPal account hasn’t. I believe this may have something to do with contacting PayPal to have them look into the refund.

Would appreciate it if you can ring in the comments when you got your refunds as well.

UPDATE: December 23, 2018

Earlier today I received my $10 refund.

I made sure to close the Open Case or open dispute claims I have on my PayPal account: